The Dollar General in New Berlin was determined to be unsafe and was closed on Friday by Chenango County Code Enforcement after officials determined there was a refrigeration leak at the store causing some to fall ill. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

NEW BERLIN – On the afternoon of Friday, July 12, the refrigerant R-410A leaked in the New Berlin Dollar General, causing the Chenango County Public Health Department to deem the store unsafe and close it until further notice, according to Public Health Director Isaiah Sutton.

On the day of the incident, the New Berlin Fire Department responded to a 911 call at the Dollar General in New Berlin, reporting that some people within the building had fallen ill.

The fire control office notified the public health department and they identified that R-410A was leaking in the store.

After evaluating the initial severity of the R-410A leak, the public health department’s code enforcement division deemed the store unsafe until further notice.

Public health received a second call from the fire control on the afternoon of Saturday, July 13, reporting more impacted individuals from the store. However, code enforcement had not yet cleared the store as safe to reopen. According to Sutton, the reopening of the store was unauthorized.